The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa
Chipinge Correspondent
THE 2022 macadamia nuts selling seasons is expected to open early next month, with farmers anticipating low yields due to the heat wave that affected the crop.
Although some farmers are already selling their macadamia crop to leading buyers, the macadamia nuts season will officially open in March.
A kilogramme of macadamia nuts fetches between US$3 and US$6, depending on the quality.
Farmers who spoke to The Manica Post Business have started harvesting the nuts.
However, they are anticipating poor yields due to delayed rains and the heat wave that hit Chipinge and Chimanimani late last year.
Macadamia Farmers Association (MFA) Secretary, Mr James Maisiri told The Manica Post Business that macadamia nuts were affected by the weather.
“The yield will be poor this season because the heat wave affected the plants during the fruit setting stage. ln addition, good rains were only received in mid-December. This greatly affected the development of the nuts, ” he said.
Mr Maisiri said the MFA is still in the process of clearing buyers for the upcoming marketing season.
“We are in the process of registering buyers who will buy the crop and the exact number of buyers will be availed at the end of this month, although we have some on the ground who were buying the crop throughout the year.
“We are very overwhelmed by the buyers, mostly from China, who are charmed by the quality of the crop we produce. We are also enjoying the fruits of the enactment of Statutory Instrument 138 of 2019, which regulates the production, marketing and processing of macadamia nuts.
“There is now some semblance of order in the macadamia sector. The Statutory Instrument managed to control side-marketing, although some stolen nuts are still finding their way to the market,” said Mr Maisiri.
Dubbed the green diamond due to its demand on the international market, the crop has changed many lives for Chipinge and Chimanimani farmers.
The growing of macadamia nuts has extended to other districts such as Mutasa, Makoni and as far as Mazowe in Mashonaland Central.
Some farmers in Chipinge are earning handsome rewards from selling the seedlings.
A seedling produced by local farmers cost between US$2 and US$5, while those produced by macadamia growing companies such as Tanganda Tea, Makandi and Ariston Holdings cost between US$5 and US$10 each.
Mr Ashirai Mawere, one of the leading macadamia seedling producers said macadamia nuts have attracted many farmers across the country.
“Experts say macadamia plants can be grown in different parts of the country, not in the Eastern Highlands alone. We are selling the seedlings to farmers as far as Mazowe in Mashonaland Central.
“Selling macadamia seedlings is now a game changer to many farmers here who do not plantations ready for harvesting,” said Mr Mawere.
